While your eggs are cooling, you can raid your junk drawer for the supplies you’ll need to design your eggs:

• Rubber bands: Wrap the eggs before dipping into your favorite color. Once dyed and dried, remove the rubber-band for interesting stripe patterns.
• Crayons: Use a white crayon or another color to draw designs, words and pictures onto your egg before dipping into the dye.
• Stickers: You can add festive stickers to dyed & dried eggs or attach fun shapes to the eggs before dying. Remove the stickers after the eggs are dried for fun shapes.
• Masking Tape: Wrap masking tape around the egg before dying. Remove tape to reveal the design.
• Hole-punch Reinforcements: Stick these onto the eggs before dyeing for unique polka dot spots!
• Rubber Cement: Drip glue onto eggs in a random pattern. When glue is dried, dip egg into dye. Once the dye has set, peel off the glue to reveal your pattern.
• Q-Tips: Dip your cotton swab into full strength dissolved dye tablets. Paint designs onto eggs.
• Get crafty: Decorate dyed eggs by gluing on leftover craft supplies such as sequins, feathers, ribbons and more!

Be sure to store the finished eggs properly so they can be used for recipes later in the week. Deviled eggs, egg salads and green salad dishes can be made from these. Don’t forget to save the colorful eggshells for your kids to make beautiful mosaic pictures!

Originally published on 4/7/2009

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The fact that it’s more frugal than dinner out is just a bonus at this point, but cooking from home is always a great way to save money on date night. However, there’s something to be said for getting away and enjoying an evening out.

Here are 3 great ways to go out for dinner for less:

Begin at the Beginning

You don’t have to order a whole meal, to enjoy a dining experience. The hubby and I actually go out often, just for an appetizer or two. We can share an appetizer spread for far less than the cost of two dinner entrees.

Daywalker

Who says you can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day during, you know, the daytime? A lunch date can make for significant savings, especially if your children are in school. It eliminates the need for a babysitter. Plus, many restaurants offer lunch menus at a discount.

Just Desserts

I don’t think there’s anything more sexy than sharing a dessert with the hubby. Enjoy a meal at home, then linger over a special dessert or after dinner drinks. It’s an inexpensive way to snag a small part of the dining experience.

Related, on Babble.com: 14 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day Without Spending a Dime

Photo Credit: Flickr

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Christmas is the best time to stockup on linens—if you use tablecloths, napkins and decorative table runners all year as we do, you’ll find awesome prices on “holiday” packages. Most of them are not Christmas specific so keep an eye out for your favorite sizes. This is also a great time to buy items that are designed as gifts—watch for gift-boxed items such as gloves, electronics and toys. You’ll also notice a lot of “stocking stuffers” that can be used for Easter baskets, party favors and chore rewards. Look for toys, beauty products and trinkets free of snowflakes, holly and Christmas designs.

Beyond the holiday aisles, markdowns are also happening throughout the stores. Retailers keep overstock of electronics and toys for the holiday shopping season. At Target, there is already an entire aisle of 30% off toys, every end cap is stocked with clearance and you’ll find more toy markdowns up every aisle. My oldest has a birthday in just over a week so I used to do all my shopping for her during the first week of January. Of course, she has moved beyond toys as she turns 14 but winter clothing is being clearanced already as well!

If you venture out, I’d love to hear about your bargains. For the last few years, I’ve set about to increase our Christmas music collection and with Amazon’s 25 Days of Free, I think we’re all set there. I think this year’s splurge will be on new outdoor lights. It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten our outdoor lights up so I’m hoping a couple new pieces will inspire me next season. Happy shopping!

Originally published 12/29/09

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And, so I’m off in search of another perfect gift. While I hope to finish today, and steer clear of stores tomorrow, it is nice to know there are store hours on Christmas Eve just in case.

I know I’ll come up with something awesome for my sis, but occasionally I’ve had to go with a last resort item, as we come down to the wire.

Here are several gifts you can purchase all the way up to Christmas Day:

• Magazine subscriptions: Find deals at Amazon, then wrap the current issue with your subscription note. Check the magazine rack at the nearest convenience store, for super last minute options!
• Daily Deals: Give the gift of time with a ticket package, family fun attraction or restaurant deal from Groupon, EverSave and more.
• Gift Cards & Cash: It may not be very personal, but you can get cash at the ATM and gift cards at Walgreens (open on Christmas Day). At least you can choose one of these fun ways to package money!
• Movie Tickets: Order & print online at any time. Plus, Get 20% off $25 in movie tickets when you use your Visa Signature card.

Fess up—who is still left on your list?

Photo Credit: Flickr

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